being manipulated by carding machines into four long rolls, they manufactured into nice flannel sheets, some of which are in existence at the present day.
Amid our interesting domestic avocations, the claims of society were not forgotten. Pleasant parties of friends were not unfrequently invited, for whom it was our rule to make our ice-cream, and other varieties of refreshment, within our own premises.
It was our desire in these entertainments to avoid display, and unite simplicity with social and intellectual pleasures. We did not wish to make the animal appetites the chief attraction to those whose company we solicited, but taking it for granted, in the words of the Apostle to those of Corinth, that they had "houses of their own, to eat and drink in," would not tempt them to unseasonable indulgence, perhaps at the expense of physical welfare.
The pleasantest months of the year gave us the enjoyment of a more protracted hospitality. Our rural residence was delightful in summer to our city friends, and my husband's relatives from Boston, and the visitants of our daughters, often made the family circle large and cheerful.
Yes, and in process of time guests appeared, not for a season only—two little ones, who, having first opened their eyes amid that delightful scenery, claimed it as a home. My first infant, who came to us just before leaving our former habitation, fainted at the gate of
